Notre Dame stays unbeaten, waits, roots, for upset

Notre Dame running back George Atkinson III scores touchdown against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012. Notre Dame defeated Wake Forest 38-0. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

No. 3 NOTRE DAME 38, WAKE FOREST 0

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Everett Golson threw touchdown passes of 50, 34 and 2 yards, Cierre Wood scored on a 68-yard run and Notre Dame finished the season undefeated at home for the first time since 1998.

The Fighting Irish improved to 11-0 for the first time since 1989 and need to beat Southern California to finish a regular season undefeated for the first time since 1988, the last time they won a national championship. The Demon Deacons (5-6) fell to 1-33 all-time against top 5 teams, their lone win coming against No. 4 Tennessee in 1946.

The victory virtually assures the Irish of a berth in a BCS game. The Irish need to beat USC and likely need either No. 1 Oregon or No. 2 Kansas State to lose to reach the BCS title game.

The Crimson Tide (10-1) rebounded from a loss to No. 9 Texas A&M by building a 42-0 halftime lead against the Catamounts (1-10), a Football Championship Subdivision team with two wins in as many seasons. It was Alabama’s third shutout of the season.

No. 5 GEORGIA 45, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 14

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Aaron Murray threw four touchdown passes and Todd Gurley became only the second true freshman in Georgia history to rush for 1,000 yards.

Georgia (10-1) reached 10 wins for the eighth time in Mark Richt’s dozen seasons as coach. Georgia Southern (8-3) had a shot at the halftime lead, only to get scuttled by a penalty, and Murray took control from there.

No. 6 OHIO STATE 21, WISCONSIN 14

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Carlos Hyde scored on a 2-yard run in overtime and the Buckeyes stayed perfect.

The Buckeyes (11-0, 7-0) clinched the Leaders Division title outright with the win. But they are ineligible for the postseason as part of their punishment for NCAA violations under former coach Jim Tressel, and the best they can hope for is to end the year unbeaten and to maybe capture the AP Top 25 title.

Montee Ball scored his 78th touchdown, tying Travis Prentice’s major-college record for career scores. But he fumbled on what would have been the record-breaker with 2:46 left in regulation.

The Gators scored a touchdown on their first possession when Mike Gillislee plowed into the end zone from 7 yards out. But that was the only offensive touchdown all day from Florida.

The Gators (10-1) also scored on a 7-yard interception return by Jonathan Bostic early in the third quarter. Caleb Sturgis added three field goals from 21, 44 and 47 yards out to complete the scoring.

No. 8 LSU 41, MISSISSIPPI 35

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Jeremy Hill scored his third touchdown with 15 seconds left to lift LSU to a victory.

The game included seven turnovers, numerous momentum swings and long touchdowns, perhaps none better than Odell Beckham Jr.’s 89-yard punt return for a score that evoked memories of Billy Cannon’s famous return against the same team, along the same sideline, for the same yardage back in 1959.

Beckham’s return tied the game at 35, but LSU (9-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) still needed a pair of clutch sacks by Anthony Johnson and Lavar Edwards to drive Ole Miss (5-6, 2-5) out of routine field goal range later in the fourth quarter, setting up the winning drive.

No. 9 TEXAS A&M 47, SAM HOUSTON STATE 28

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Johnny Manziel threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 100 yards and two more scores in a bit more than a half for Texas A&M.

The redshirt freshman threw an 89-yard touchdown pass to Uzoma Nwachukwu on A&M’s first offensive play of the second half. The dual-threat quarterback then attempted the extra point, but it sailed wide right, ending the Heisman hopeful’s day with A&M (9-2) leading 40-0.

He broke the NCAA freshman quarterback rushing record of 1,029 set by Missouri’s Brad Smith in 2002, and the freshman record for total offense of 3,827 set in 2000 by Jared Lorenzen on A&M’s first drive. He also became the fifth player and first freshman in FBS history to pass for at least 3,000 yards with at least 1,000 yards rushing in a season.

No. 10 FLORIDA STATE 41, MARYLAND 14

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Devonta Freeman ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns as Florida State earned a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.

Florida State (10-1, 7-1) led 27-0 at halftime and cruised to its fifth straight victory. The Seminoles clinched the league’s Atlantic Division title for the second time in three years and will play for its 13th ACC crown on Dec. 1.

The defeat formally ended any chance Maryland had of becoming bowl eligible. The Terrapins (4-7, 2-5) have dropped five straight.

No. 11 CLEMSON 62, NORTH CAROLINA STATE 48

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Tajh Boyd threw for five touchdowns and ran for three more scores to lead Clemson to a record-shattering win.

The Tigers (10-1, 7-1 Atlantic Coast) gained 754 yards, two off the school record. The 110 combined points were just seven off the ACC record set by Georgia Tech and North Carolina last week.

The Tigers won a share of the ACC’s Atlantic Division title, but the loss to Florida State keeps them out of the title game.

No. 12 SOUTH CAROLINA 24, WOFFORD 7

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Kenny Miles rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown and South Carolina pulled out a closer-than-expected 24-7 win over an FCS opponent.

The victory gave Steve Spurrier his 64th win in eight seasons with the Gamecocks (9-2), tying him with Rex Enright for most ever in program history. But it wasn’t until a 17-point fourth quarter that Spurrier and South Carolina could rest easy in this one.

It was the Gamecocks 11th straight win at Williams-Brice Stadium and completed their first perfect run at home (7-0) since 1987.

The Cornhuskers (9-2, 6-1), who had to come from behind in the second half in four of its first five Big Ten wins, scored on four of their first six possessions against the Gophers (6-5, 2-5).

Nebraska can clinch the Legends Division title — and a berth in the conference championship game against Wisconsin on Dec. 1 — with a win at Iowa on Friday or a Michigan loss at Ohio State Saturday.

No. 17 UCLA 38, No. 21 USC 28

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Brett Hundley passed for 234 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two more scores as UCLA clinched the Pac-12 South title and snapped a five-game losing streak in the crosstown rivalry.

Eric Kendricks blocked a punt and made a fourth-quarter interception for the Bruins (9-2, 6-2 Pac-12), who overcame intermittent second-half rain and USC’s star-studded lineup for a gutsy victory that puts them atop Los Angeles football.

A year after USC obliterated the Bruins 50-0 in a game that led to a coaching change in Westwood, UCLA punctuated its one-year revitalization under Jim Mora with its first win over the Trojans (7-4, 5-4) since 2006 — just their second in 14 years.

UTAH STATE 48, No. 19 LOUISIANA TECH 41, OT

RUSTON, La. (AP) — Kerwynn Williams scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to give Utah State a lead in overtime and the Aggies stopped Louisiana Tech on four plays to win and clinch at least a share of the Western Athletic Conference championship.

Chuckie Keeton threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns for Utah State (9-2, 5-0), which let a 24-point, third-quarter lead slip away against one of the nation’s highest scoring teams.

Utah State jumped out to a 27-3 lead by early in the third quarter, but Louisiana Tech (9-2, 4-1) rallied to tie the game at 41 on Matt Nelson’s 32-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.

No. 22 RUTGERS 10, CINCINNATI 3

CINCINNATI (AP) — Savon Huggins ran for a career-high 179 yards, and Rutgers’ defense had another shut-down showing and the Scarlet Knights stayed in control of the Big East.

Rutgers (9-1, 5-0) remained the only unbeaten team in conference play. The Scarlet Knights finish with games at Pittsburgh and home against No. 20 Louisville, which has one Big East loss.

Huggins filled in for the injured Jawan Jamison and had a career day all around, leading an offense that did just enough. Gary Nova threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to Mark Harrison in the second quarter, and Nick Borgese made a 42-yard field goal in the fourth.

The Wolverines (8-3, 6-1 Big Ten) weren’t stopped on offense by the hapless Hawkeyes (4-7, 2-5) until Gardner threw an interception early in the fourth quarter.

Gardner threw three touchdowns and ran for three scores. He became the first Michigan quarterback to account for six TDs since 1983 when Steve Smith had as many passing and rushing scores in a game at Minnesota.

Iowa has lost five straight.

OKLAHOMA STATE 59, No. 23 TEXAS TECH 21

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Isaiah Anderson had a career-best 174 yards receiving and caught three long touchdown passes from Clint Chelf in his final home game for Oklahoma State.

Zack Craig blocked a pair of punts, returning one for a touchdown, as the Cowboys (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) won their fourth straight in the series and the second in a row in decisive fashion. The Red Raiders’ 66-6 loss in last season’s game was the most lopsided defeat in the program’s history.

No. 25 KENT STATE 31, BOWLING GREEN 24

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Dri Archer had two long touchdown runs and finished with 241 yards rushing, leading Kent State to its first Mid-American Conference title game.

The Golden Flashes’ defense stopped Bowling Green twice within the last five minutes inside Kent State territory.

Luke Wollet’s interception in the end zone with 21 seconds left sealed the victory.

Bowling Green (7-4, 5-2) had driven to the Kent State 14 before coming up empty on four consecutive throws.

Archer scored on runs of 79 and 74 yards for Kent State (10-1, 7-0 MAC).